Blue Velvet
by Obito-Wan Kenobi
Summary: Hinata watches the fireworks in awe during the celebration of their victory shortly after the war, and sitting next to her is the man of her dreams. Naruto x Hinata one-shot!


Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Welcome to my second Naruto fanfiction. I dedicate this one to Nami, a really good friend of mine. Have fun reading!

Disclaimer: I'm not Kishimoto so that means I do not Naruto.

* * *

Hinata looked at her own reflection on the tall mirror before her. Her midnight blue hair rested upon her back, and her strands framed her face. The lavender yukata she wore complimented her figure. She thought she looked beautiful. Satisfied with what she saw, a small smile decorated her face.

She walked out of her bedroom to the front room where she would meet her father and younger sister, Hanabi.

"You look beautiful, Oneesan!" Hanabi mused at the sight of her older sister wearing the pink kimono.

Hinata's smile was so radiant and said her thanks. It moved Hiashi to see his oldest daughter smiling happily.

"Shall we go?" Hiashi asked.

The father and two daughters quietly walked out of the compound to the streets of Konoha to celebrate their victory shortly after the Shinobi War.

The moon revealed itself high among the dark skies, radiating its comforting beam to earth. The branches on the trees rustled against each other when the breeze gently blew.

Hinata sadly looked at the ground she was about to walk as she remembered what she had done earlier that day. Nobody knew but her.

* * *

Hinata's legs dragged her away from the compound to the quiet cemetery. She wanted to go back home, but her feet wouldn't let her. The next thing she knew was that she was staring numbly at her cousin's gravestone. His gravestone was decorated with fresh flowers with variant colours and a few letters from his cherished friends.

Tears formed on her eyes when she remembered when Neji had unhesitatingly sacrificed his life for her and Naruto's lives. She experienced a sudden sharp pang of grief at the memory of his dying face, which was decorated with a resigned calm smile. The pain was surprisingly agonising, but he seemed so calm as if he was okay. She remembered the sound of sharp woods piercing through his body, which she had thought to be through hers. It was impossible to erase the memory.

Her trembling knees couldn't hold her weight any longer. She went down on all four. Her slender fingers groping the grass as tears furiously streamed down to the ground above his grave. The soil quickly absorbed her tears.

_He didn't have to die._

"NII-SAN!" she exclaimed, looking at his marble gravestone. "Why? Why did you have to sacrifice your life…for m-m-my own pitiful l-l-life?! WHY?"

She expected for him to answer. She waited and waited while she cried above his grave. She needed an answer from him. She imagined him standing before her with a warm smile decorating his face, telling her everything was going to be fine.

"_I'm ready…" he softly whispered as Naruto demanded for a medical team._

_Neji's hollow eyes met Hinata's. Her eyes were covered with tears, which streamed down her scruffy face. Blood rushed out of the corners of his mouth._

"_Naruto. Hinata-sama…is willing to die…for you," Neji managed to say. "That's why your life is not only one…apparently…my life, too…was…one of yours…"_

_Neji rested his face on Naruto's shoulder as he gazed calmly at Hinata crying._

"_Why…why here? You're Hyūga's…" Naruto asked, puzzled and astonished. "Why are you willing to throw away your life for me?!"_

_Neji's resigned smile grew wider, revealing his teeth._

"_Because…you told me…that I'm a genius," he said._

_Tears rushed from the corners of Naruto's wide sapphire eyes._

_Hinata watched with tears blinding her eyes as Neji's cursed seal vanished from his forehead. His eyes turned hollow and his face grew pale. His head bowed down._

"Neji-nii-san," she sobbed, staring at the ground beneath her, "please. _Please _come back! Come back, nii-san!"

It was painful for Hinata to realise that the compound had become dull and empty without Neji's presence. She still expected for him to be there in the Hyūga training grounds, ready to train with her. She became disappointed and sad when she remembered that he wasn't alive anymore.

A small white dove stood atop Neji's gravestone, and watched Hinata's trembling with tears. It scratched its own wing before setting off to fly into the horizon once again.

Hinata remained in her position until she had calmed down. She stood up and looked at Neji's gravestone with her sad wide pale eyes. Her lips curled into a small smile, unshed tears formed in her eyes.

"Thank you, Neji-nii-san," she said gratefully, her voice was soft and sincere. "Thank you."

* * *

The three Hyūgas arrived at the festive premises. Shinobis and civilians were dressed in decent yukatas especially for the event. The streets were decorated with lights, food stands, and games for the children to play. Hinata and Hanabi mused silently to themselves at this lighthearted sight.

Hinata saw Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino standing by a food stand. Kiba saw her, too, and waved his hand at her. Hinata raised her hand to wave at him back before she looked at her father.

"May I go with my friends, father?" she asked.

"You may," he said with a kind smile. "Enjoy yourself, Hinata."

"Yes. Thank you, father," she grinned.

She joined her fellow teammates, and they greeted her very warmly.

"You look nice, Hinata," Kiba complimented her in a friendly manner. "Did you dress up just for Naruto?"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata's cheeks flushed pink.

Kiba laughed at her for being embarrassed when he had teasingly asked her.

"Take it easy, Hinata," he said with a friendly grin that showed his fangs. "We're here to celebrate and be happy, after all."

Her cheeks returned to its previous colour, and her face decorated with a small smile.

"You're right," she nodded her head.

"Let's play a few games while we wait for the fireworks, shall we?" Kiba inquired.

The threesome walked to a game booth together to keep themselves busy as they waited for the fireworks that evening. Kiba would get upset once in a while when he had failed a game.

"Dammit! I'm losing to a child's game!" Kiba remarked when he couldn't catch a small fish.

"That's okay, Kiba-ku—" Hinata was interrupted by a very familiar voice calling their names.

The threesome turned their heads to see Naruto walking towards them with a carefree smile. Hinata's heart thumped inside her chest, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her eyes lit up with joy at the sight of him.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Hi, guys!" Naruto greeted them happily.

"Nice to see you here, Naruto," Shino said flatly, but deep inside he was happy to see Naruto.

"Same goes with me," Naruto grinned, and his sapphire orbs widened at the sight of Hinata looking very shy, yet beautiful in the lavender yukata.

"My, my, Hinata! You look very pretty tonight!" he complimented her with a wide grin that showed off his teeth.

Hinata's lips slightly parted as her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink. The corners of her mouth lifted into a shy radiating smile for Naruto.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she thanked him shyly.

"I guess you just made her day, Naruto," Kiba remarked teasingly.

"Kiba-kun!"

Naruto wasn't exactly sure what Kiba meant by that, and all he could do was chuckle.

"Do you want to watch the fireworks with us, Naruto?" Shino suggested.

"Yeah, sure!" Naruto said excitedly.

Hinata smiled to herself as she remembered at her own fantasy when she was younger of her watching the fireworks with Naruto while they hold hands. She liked the idea of finally having the opportunity to watch the fireworks with him.

"Say, Hinata, do you want something to eat?" Naruto asked, turning his attention to her.

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun," she answered, but her voice was barely audible through the sound of other people chattering excitedly.

"Speak up, Hinata, I can't hear you," he said kindly.

Finally seeing that this would be her chance to be together with Naruto for a moment, she nodded her head at his question.

"Come on, let me buy you something to eat," he said.

He held Hinata's hand as he led her towards food stands. She blushed at the feeling of his warm big hand around hers. She became disappointed when he had let go off his hand to take money out of his green frog purse. She watched quietly as Naruto ordered a little snack for both of them. She snapped back to reality when he gave her a pair of meat on a stick.

"For you," he said.

She gratefully accepted the food with a kind smile across her face. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

His eyes closed for his widest grin. "_Itadakimasu_, Hinata-chan!" he said excitedly as he munched on his food.

"_Itadakimasu_, Naruto-kun."

"Oh, by the way," he started with his mouth filled with roasted meat, "is it okay if I stick around with you tonight?"

She shyly met his eyes. Her breath was caught in her throat. She nodded her head slowly.

"Alright, great!" he said with a very excited grin decorating his whiskered face. "I promise, I'll never leave your side!"

A wide smile crept up her flushed face. He was exaggerating the whole thing, but she didn't mind.

He didn't leave her side not even once throughout the evening. They walked together closely when they walked back to Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru. Kiba would tease Hinata once in a while, and although she grew embarrassed, Naruto still didn't have a clue.

By the time the fireworks were ready, the group sat on a roof to get a better look at the fireworks. Naruto sat very closely to Hinata, and she hoped that he couldn't hear the sound of her heart beating fast. She mentally told herself to keep cool.

"I'm so excited to see the fireworks! What about you, Hinata?" Naruto asked cheerfully.

"I am," she agreed softly, slightly nodding her head.

"I'm really glad that I can be close to you tonight, Hinata," he said, looking deep into her eyes with his twinkling sapphire eyes, which seemed dark underneath the night sky. He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. She swore she could see his cheeks blushing.

"Thank you." He added.

She flashed her most beautiful smile to him, and her pale eyes sparkled. "So am I, Naruto-kun. Thank you, as well."

He hid his teeth behind a smile as he gazed tenderly into her eyes.

"How are you this evening, Hinata?" he asked softly.

She was surprised to hear him ask that question. Her heart beat faster and her face's red face turned darker.

"I am happy, Naruto-kun," she confessed.

He let out a small giggle. "I'm glad you are happy, Hinata," he said, his voice was filled with tenderness. "It made my heart drop when I saw you cry earlier today."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "You…you were there?"

He nodded his head. "I didn't come down there to greet you, because you seemed to be busy."

Her eyes darkened, and she turned her gaze away from his.

"Are you all right, now, Hinata?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, Naruto-kun," she said with an assuring smile as she looked at him again tenderly. "Thank you."

Her radiant smile assured him that her words were true.

"I believe you, Hinata. Anyway, if you need someone to talk to, I'll always be there for you! If you're hurt or feeling down, you can always come to me. I promise you that. I never go back—"

"On my words. That is my nindō." She interrupted.

Her tender eyes pierced through him, and his chest felt warm all of a sudden. He felt his cheeks getting hot as he gazed at the beautiful kunoichi sitting next to him and observed her. He noticed that the pink kimono she was wearing perfectly shaped her petite body. Her blue velvet strands framed her lovely face very nicely along with her fringe that rested upon her forehead that made her look absolutely beautiful.

"Naruto, are you all right?" she asked, her soft voice was music to his ears.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" he said. "What's up?"

"Nothing, it's just…your face was red. I thought you have a sudden fever." She said.

"I'm fine, Hinata, don't worry," he chuckled with a wave of his hand. "I…I just thought that…that…"

She blushed at the sudden nervousness he was giving off.

"That you're really beautiful, Hinata," he finally admitted, his soft gaze staring straight deep into her soul.

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, and suddenly jumped when the first firework blasted in the dark sky. The bright colours of the fireworks flashed before their eyes, and everyone stared in awe with _oohs _and _aahs_. Hinata watched the fireworks decorating their colourful flares through the dark sky in awe. Naruto didn't look at the fireworks, but he looked at the beautiful girl sitting right next to him tenderly.

He slowly reached for hand. He enveloped her small hand with his big one. She quickly met his eyes when she felt his hand around hers. Her cheeks immediately turned crimson, and his turned pink. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered when she saw his lips curling into a tender handsome smile. All her uneasy feelings quickly vanished at the sight of him smiling tenderly for her.

Naruto walked her home after the celebration beneath the pale moonlight. He saw the moonbeam reflecting upon the crown of her blue velvet hair. He noticed that her hair had the same colour as the dark midnight sky. He averted his gaze to her lovely animated face and her small smile, which radiated warmth and comfort to him. His chest grew warm at the sight of her small beautiful smile.

He slowly reached for her hand, and intertwined his fingers with hers tightly as if he never wanted to let it go. He could feel her fingers trembling against his hand. He was aware how much that small act of affection meant to her, and he wanted her to know that it meant a lot for him as well. After being so blind for a long time, the time had finally come for his eyes to open and realise that he was very much in love with her too.

"You seemed to be in a very deep thought earlier," he said.

She nodded her head slightly.

"Can I know what you were thinking about?"

"I was only thinking about that time when you, Sakura-chan, and Neji-nii-san went searching for the Eye Medicine Plant just so that I can watch the fireworks with you," she mused.

"You miss Neji, don't you?"

She nodded her head slowly.

He tightened his grip around her hand, and flashed her a kind smile. "May he rest in peace."

A wide smile crept up her face. She slightly nodded her head.

"I want to thank you, Hinata," he said.

"What for, Naruto-kun?"

"For nearly dying and giving your life away just for me. What you did was crazy, but I guess that's what I most love about you." He said with a grateful smile across his face. "And I'm more grateful that you are still alive and well."

They stopped outside of the gates of the Hyūga clan compound facing one another shyly.

"Thank you for walking me home, Naruto-kun," she said with her soft high-pitched voice, her eyes not meeting his. An animated smile decorating her beautiful face caused her eyes to sparkle very brightly.

"My pleasure, Hinata."

He tilted her chin up so their eyes would meet. She looked at him very shyly with her with her lips apart. Her pale Hyūga eyes widened in astonishment when she felt his lips on the corner of her thin mouth. Her knees trembled in anticipation and she fell into his arms. Embarrassed by her clumsiness, she stammered an apology.

"It's fine, Hina-chan," he giggled at her adorable sudden embarrassment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry for causing you to react that way."

Her hands clutched his shoulders tighter as she lifted her gaze up to meet his sparkling sapphire eyes she had always been in love with since forever. She could feel his fast heartbeat against her chest, and so could he.

"I…I love you, Hinata-chan…very much, _dattebayo_," he confessed with a heart-warming smile decorating his handsome animated face.

Her cheeks were burning red and she hoped that he wouldn't be able to see them in the dark. Her head spun when she heard those words coming out of his lips. It wasn't a dream, and it made her heart light up with joy. She had always wanted to hear him say those words to her ever since she set her eyes upon him and fell instantly in love.

"I've said this before," she managed to say, "but I love you, too, Naruto-kun."

A chuckle escaped his lips as he held her tighter around his arms. He leaned his face closer to hers, and finally kissed her soft lips with his eyes closed.

Hinata's eyes widened in astonishment when he had pressed his lips against virgin lips. She didn't expect him to do so in such short notice. She slowly closed her eyes, and snaked her hands around his neck. His lips were very soft and sweet—just as she imagined them to be. She trembled in his kiss, and she was glad that he was holding her tightly so she wouldn't fall.

Naruto slowly parted his lips from Hinata's. They were both breathless, and she seemed to be in a daze. He gently caressed one of her warm red cheeks, a tender smile crept up his face.

She wanted to stay in his warm embrace, but unfortunately she did so. His warmth was still sticking to her, and she was grateful for it. She looked at him with a radiant smile decorating her face.

"Good night, Naruto-kun."

He smiled at her back. "Good night, Hinata."

It took her a while for her to walk away from him, but she turned around to bid him good night as she approached the compound backwards.

"Good night." He said, waving his hand, as he watched her disappear into the main compound.

* * *

Author's Note: Reviews are warmly welcomed! They make writers happy~


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